Disclaimer: This is transcribed using AI. Expect (funny) errors.
Mindy Peterson: [00:00:00] I’m Mindy Peterson, and this is Enhance Life with Music, where we explore all the ways that music can make our lives better. Most of us probably don’t think of music as having much to do with war. If we do, we might think about patriotic songs or military marches, or maybe Christmas songs like I’ll Be Home for Christmas. But music has played significant and maybe surprising roles during war time. In honor of Veterans Day coming up soon here in the US, we’re talking today about the fascinating and often overlooked use of music during wartime. I’m joined today by Dan Del Fiorentino. Dan is the music historian for NAMM, which stands for National Association of Music Merchants. Dan heads up the industry’s Oral History Program, a collection of almost 6000 video interviews. And he’s a fellow podcaster. He co-hosts the Music History Project podcast. Dan has a lifelong passion for music and history. Welcome to Enhance Life with Music, Dan.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:01:08] Mindy. Thank you so much. What a pleasure to be here. I really appreciate the invitation.
Mindy Peterson: [00:01:12] Oh, it’s a pleasure to have you here. And even though you’re in California, you are a native Twin Cities person. So kind of fun to have that in common.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:01:22] Indeed. I love to tell people that my brother and I used to play stickball in what is now the parking lot for Mall of America.
Mindy Peterson: [00:01:32] Oh really? Bloomington guy. Love it. Oh well, for time’s sake, we’re going to be talking primarily today about music’s role in 20th century conflicts. Most of us, like I said, don’t really think about music as having much to do with war. War is certainly some of humanity’s most challenging moments. Tell us about some of the ways that music has been used in this context, including some ways that might surprise people.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:02:04] Well thank you, I appreciate that. Um, it’s really interesting to me that really the, the role that the music products industry plays in war, um, has a lot to do with keeping people employed and motivating people to be active in helping out making blankets and things like that for the troops and the troops families. But also it’s a morale booster. And I think that the morale boosting part of it was the most endured by the music products industry over time. And World War Two, if we could focus on that for a minute. Sure. Really has a million examples of this, one of which comes from the fact that the War Department was quite worried that we might run out of metal during the war, making tanks and all that kind of stuff. So there was a decree made that if you, as a manufacturer of anything, make something that’s 10% weight in metal or more. You really need to cease and desist so that we can utilize that scrap metal for war efforts. So this put a big squeeze on a lot of manufacturing. Of course, think about the brass instrument world. You know, all those folks had to stop immediately. And the piano is another great example. I know you are connected with Schmidt music and have a love for the piano as I do. And it’s of course, the soundboard inside. If you are not familiar with how your piano works. Most pianos have a metal soundboard inside that holds the strings together, and they had to stop just like everybody else. So some of the largest manufacturers in the country were piano manufacturers at the beginning of World War Two. Actually, it’s the same with World War One. And so the, um, the War Department forced these folks to do something else. So these companies scramble to say, okay, what can we do for the war effort? And Baldwin pianos in Cincinnati, for example, they converted their factories from making pianos literally one week to the very next week, uprooting floors in some cases and moving things around so they can begin making gliders for the war effort.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:04:22] We were blessed here at NAMM in the early days of this building, which holds the Museum of Making Music here in Carlsbad, California. Little plug. Um, that, um, our first president was Henry Steinway, who was the great great grandson of the founder of the Steinway Piano Company. And so I got to hang out with Henry. It’s so funny. He would come for meetings, and I would insist on taking my camera and just sitting down and say, okay, today, let’s just talk about your grandfather, okay? Today, let’s just talk about the sustain pedal. Okay? Today it was great. So I have Literally dozens of hours with Henry, and every time I listen to any of them, I learn something. So one day I was smart enough to say, let’s just talk about World War two. So he told me that he and his brother went down to Washington, and they pleaded with the government, saying, hey, look, we have hundreds of factory workers, and stopping production on pianos is really going to hurt our business. And we aren’t in the same position that Baldwin is to reconfigure our factory. It’s the same factory for, you know, 100 years at that or nearly 100 years at that point. So they came up with this idea of making these vertical, upright pianos that we lovingly call now the G.I. pianos, Steinway GI, or the victory piano. The Victory Vertical is, is, I think, the official name. And they’re really awesome. They’re really cool because they’re art deco. They weren’t really, you know, to me and I. Please don’t take any offense, Henry, or anybody else listening. But hip and groovy design wasn’t really what came to mind when I thought of Steinway. You know, elegance and tradition and so on. But these guys just took it upon themselves to say, hey, we’re making something for the troops. Let’s make it cool. So they, they painted them GI green, olive drab green. And they were specifically made. And, and the brothers Steinway convinced the government, you can make these instruments for troops to bring music to them, to bring home to them, to bring the memories of home and the songs that you love. And it was a fascinating endeavor. And all accounts indicate that they were very successful. This was a really meaningful thing. We have letters, the LaGuardia Library in New York, which holds most of the Steinway collection, has dozens of letters from troops writing home saying, oh my goodness, you know, this was such a meaningful night tonight at campfire because we got to hear granddad’s favorite song. And we all sang along to the popular tunes and so on.
Mindy Peterson: [00:07:09] Played on these pianos.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:07:10] And then the next day they get their rifles on their back at war. But for those moments, they were home.
Mindy Peterson: [00:07:16] Yeah. And just to back up a little bit, it wasn’t just the color that was different on these upright pianos. I mean, they were built to be some of them were like parachuted in to some of these war zones. Can you speak a little bit else to like what was different about these pianos?
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:07:34] Absolutely. Well, first of all, so they were built really sturdy, really, really sturdy. And the idea was to find areas where the U.S.. Oh, we all know Bob Hope. God bless him and all those folks. Frances Langford and some of the big bands. I want to give a shout out to the late, great Les Brown, who didn’t miss a beat in going out and entertaining the troops during World War Two. Of course, Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Band. These were great USO shows for large areas where accessibility was very important. You could have these entertainers fly in and fly out. Safety was really important. The government was really worried that if an entertainer was killed in the line of duty, it would be a tragedy, but also could spell the end to that program. So they were really cautious about the security. However, there’s a lot millions of troops didn’t have access to these large cities all the time. So the the thought that this program had was, let’s find isolated areas where we can parachute in a piano and entertain, have the troops entertained, and hopefully they’ll have the ability to move with the piano.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:08:48] But if they aren’t, then it’s okay. They were entertained during that time, and then maybe there’s logistics that allow another troop coming from a different direction, maybe stop in that same area to enjoy that piano as well. So there are some great fascinating stories about this. My favorite of which is the fact that these are in cargo planes, right? And they’re looking for the place that they’re going to drop these pianos. And now just imagine you’re a young soldier and you have a rifle with you that’s being tossed around the back of the cargo plane. A really easy place to put it is you lift up the top of the upright piano and you put your rifle inside. Makes perfect sense. The problem is, if you forget to take it out, the parachute was not adjusted for that weight. So oftentimes, not oftentimes, but at least of, I think 7 or 8 incidences that we have been documented. The parachute did not work. It was overweight or the wind or something caused these pianos to come crashing down to the ground.
Mindy Peterson: [00:09:55] Oh, wow.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:09:55] We have met a few people. I interviewed a gentleman who was in the German army, whose father, a grandfather and father, made flutes, and he was drafted into the German army. And he said they used to call those Steinway bombs.
Mindy Peterson: [00:10:10] Oh.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:10:13] Imagine. What is that coming towards me?
Mindy Peterson: [00:10:15] Oh, my. Oh, well, you mentioned you mentioned a moment ago morale and how these soldiers would be able to have sort of an escape and be home, in a way. And in the evenings when they had these pianos where they could play granddad’s favorite songs or whatever it was, maybe dance and move along. But then the next day they’re strapping on their guns again. Talk about what it is about music that makes it such an effective way to boost morale, to sustain the spirits of soldiers during this really Extraordinarily difficult time.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:10:53] Yeah, well, I think my age certainly I always think of people who were in World War Two were like my grandfather and I had a partner in radio when I was a kid who was 50 years older than me. I was thinking of his old people. But we have to remember, they were kids. Some of them were still teenagers, certainly in their early 20s. Many, many, many of them. And so where were we when we were a teenager? And in our early 20s, we were into popular music, right? And it meant something to us. In fact, some of us are still stuck in the decades in which we were in in high school.
Mindy Peterson: [00:11:31] Yeah. I’ll never forget the moment my daughter mentioned the oldies station. And I realized she wasn’t talking about the 1950s music that I thought was the oldies music. She was talking about the 80s music. It’s.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:11:47] It’s a killer, isn’t it? Yeah.
Mindy Peterson: [00:11:48] Yeah.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:11:49] Totally. Yes. Yes, indeed. So I what I picture is those songs that were popular during World War two were the things that really reminded them of home. And of course, um, there were great songs specifically made for them, like the, you know, the leaving your, your girl behind as an example and um, being alone and, and missing her. Well, I don’t want anybody else to sit under the apple tree with you. It’s just me. And that was a very popular song. Don’t sit under the Apple Tree with Anybody Else But Me was the Andrews Sisters anthem. That was it resonated with troops. They could relate to that song. And you mentioned Christmas songs. Of course I’ll Be Home For Christmas is one, but the number one Christmas song of all time was recorded during World War two for the troops specifically, um, not written for them. It was written by Irving Berlin, uh, called White Christmas.
Mindy Peterson: [00:12:51] Oh.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:12:51] And the imagery in that song was specifically geared towards those memories of A White Christmas. Remember what it’s like to have a White Christmas was the whole theme of this song, and it resonated with them. And I spoke to a sister who was home missing her brother, and she was comforted by the fact that that song would bring comfort to him. And I never thought of it that way before. I talked to her and I thought, wow, what a powerful message that is. I mean, much more powerful than we might think in retrospect, because we’ve heard that song 4 million times by 700,000 different artists, and maybe it’s lost a little bit of that original impact, which was like, I’ll be home for Christmas, missing those things, missing, seeing that those twinkling lights and missing being with family and smelling food, cooking in the kitchen. You know, all those things I think resonated with troops. And while that sounds maudlin, I think it was in general a happy, a happy memory and something to look forward to. So if we can just win.
Mindy Peterson: [00:14:08] It’s nostalgia in a way, and nostalgia itself is bitter sweet. Yeah. You know, it’s the both and.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:14:15] And I think there was motivation in that too. If we can win this thing, I can get home and I can have apple pie. You know, I mean, that is kind of the simple. Remember we’re talking about kids in my now I’m old. So I can say people even in their 20s were, were, were kids. And, and, you know, two years before this, they weren’t thinking that they were going to shoot a rifle. And so the comfort of music and what it brings to them was without a doubt unmeasurable. So we try to measure it because we want it to sustain these. We want these stories to say, and we see this over and over again. We’re picking on World War Two just because it’s real clear what happened then. But it’s you know, my uncle served three tours of the Vietnam War, and he said the same thing. If it wasn’t for I think he told me, if it wasn’t for Creedence Clearwater Revival, I wouldn’t be here today. Oh, really? That resonated with me because those are powerful. You know, there’s a song going Through the jungle. There’s a song about going through the jungle, and that’s exactly what my uncle did. And he was motivated by that. You know, he related to that. And those are important things to keep in mind that we’re fighting a war when we have a conflict of anything. It’s it’s music that brings us together and it sustains us. And I think in a lot of respects, it it motivates us.
Mindy Peterson: [00:15:42] Yeah, definitely. I know radio dramatically expanded music’s reach around the time of World War Two. Yeah. And then there’s also this phenomenon of v-discs, which I’d love for you to explain, um, explain to us about the v-disc. But then if there’s anything that you want to say about radio’s role, and if there were specific broadcasts or musical programs that had an especially powerful impact.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:16:08] Hey, look what I have.
Mindy Peterson: [00:16:09] Oh, I can see it’s an album, but I can’t read make out what, which album it is.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:16:16] It is a v-disc.
Mindy Peterson: [00:16:17] Oh, there we go. Now I see it on there. Red, white. So tell us about V-discs.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:16:23] Victory discs as they were known. Um, so let’s back up just a second. So during the war, some unfortunate things happened in the music industry, one of which was there was a Musicians Union strike. There was also a record union strike. And they weren’t related to the war necessarily, but it didn’t help, um, especially around 1942, 1943, at sort of the height of the. The war records were getting scarce because of these two strikes going on in the States. So record companies got together with, um, the unions and said, okay, we can’t agree on these things, but we can agree that music really helps our troops and we would like to create something. And they worked with the government on this to create these records called victory discs that would that would be specific to the troops. They weren’t to be sold in music stores in the United States. In fact, there was, I think, some attempt, although I haven’t documented this very clearly, to actually destroy them after the war so they couldn’t be resold. So, uh, these victory discs are amazing and I’m so grateful that they weren’t all destroyed. So what happened was musicians would get together and record for the troops. And a lot of them start with an introduction. Hey, this is Kenny Griffin, and I just want to tell you folks that we’re thinking about you out there. You know, thanks for what you’re doing. And and here’s a song for you.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:17:57] And he would play on the piano a song. And, um, what’s really neat is the contracts that record companies had up until that war. And then of course, after limited who and where your artists could perform. So artists that never performed together before could all of a sudden perform together. And when I have, I’ve interviewed several musicians who recorded V-discs, including my late friend Specs Powell, the drummer. He said, it was so cool to start playing with people that he never was allowed to play with before, and that was a real motivator for musicians. You think about it that way. You have heroes that you can’t play with now you can, and you’re helping the troops. People were lining up. There were literal lines outside recording studios to record, and nobody was paid that I know of. I think maybe some engineers might have been paid, but the musicians didn’t. That wasn’t that what this gig was about? This gig was about motivating and helping our troops overseas. And it’s such a lovely story, and I would encourage anyone to, to figure out a little bit more about, you know, you can go online and find and listen to some of these because the introductions to me are the best. I mean, it’s just people that I never heard their voices before. Here they are talking to the troops and wishing them well and come, come back home, you know, safely kind of thing.
Mindy Peterson: [00:19:24] Um, boy, yeah, that’s really heartwarming to hear about in terms of countries that were under occupation. Were there particular songs or musical traditions that became symbols of resistance or identity or hope? And then also at moments of liberation, are there particular stories from World War Two or other wars where music became a powerful symbol of freedom after occupation.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:19:50] Yeah, absolutely. Um, I can’t speak too much of other countries, but I will say that in the States there were many anthems, especially after World War II or during World War two, that were specifically geared. I have a whole box of sheet music that were specific songs written, you know, praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition was one song. Um, and then these great anthems about how we won the war and how, you know, America stays strong and, you know, Rosie the Riveter helped us and, you know, appreciating and having gratitude. I think, you know that that famous picture of the sailor kissing the woman, the nurse in New York is emblematic of what we were all feeling as a country. You know, it’s celebratory. And so there were a lot of celebrations. There were a lot of parties, and there were a lot of songs that said, you know, we’re glad that we’re a part of it. Of. I’m proud to be an American. You know, these are important values that we have. And they get to continue because we were able to to defeat this the enemy at the time.
Mindy Peterson: [00:20:55] So yeah.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:20:56] You know, the anthems. I mean, during the Civil War, Johnny Comes Marching Home was the big thing, right? Because it was mom and grandma were staring out the window waiting for Johnny to come home. And here he comes. Johnny is marching home, and that’s the end of the war. But for them, most importantly, he’s safe. And so those anthems, I think, are from every war, you know, every conflict, even even in peacetime, we have anthems that help us remember what’s important to us.
Mindy Peterson: [00:21:27] Yeah. You’ve conducted, like I said, almost 6000 oral history interviews. Very impressive throughout the years. Yeah. Throughout the years of hearing these personal firsthand stories, are there particular wartime stories that have stayed with you, or changed the way you think about the relationship between music and wartime?
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:21:51] Oh, that’s a really good question. I think most definitely listening to people that I greatly admire and talking about some of the hardships that they went through is very endearing to me. And I think I’ve created or I’ve gained a sensitivity to things like the Holocaust, because I knew troops that went to some of those concentration camps. So for sure, there’s an impact when you get to talk to people that have been affected by war. I often have said that if everyone had the same experiences that I have had in just listening and taking it in, I think we would view things a lot differently. Mhm. And, and music was always there that the person I was thinking about, um, about the concentration camp. His name was Jerry Jacobs. He was a dear friend of mine. I did some radio broadcasts with him for several years, and he was one of the coolest cats I know. He, you know, he made it through that horrible experience. And he had favorite songs that he would go to. And I once asked him, I said, you reflect back on songs that were popular during World War Two, but wasn’t that a horrible time for you? And he said, the moments I was listening to music, it wasn’t horrible.
Mindy Peterson: [00:23:16] Really.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:23:17] Can you imagine that? I mean, that is powerful. If that’s not a powerful statement about music, I don’t know what is right. 3.5 minute song is playing, and that 3.5 minutes, I wasn’t where I was. I didn’t have the feelings I did before and after the song. It was just that moment. And so 50 years later, he can listen to that same 3.5 minutes and still be there. That’s pretty amazing.
Mindy Peterson: [00:23:44] That’s kind of this dichotomy. This paradox of music was allowing him to be fully present in that moment, but also escape the moment somehow at the same time. Yeah. Wow. That’s really powerful.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:23:55] Isn’t that amazing?
Mindy Peterson: [00:23:57] Yeah.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:23:58] I have another favorite World War Two story, if I may. I get to interview this guy named Herb Newton. God bless his soul. Little old man. I met him when he was about 96 or 97, and he had a little piano shop in South Carolina, and he went in every day to the office, even in his late 90s, because that’s what he does. I said, when are you going to retire, herb? And he says, retire to what? I’m already doing everything I want to do. I said, I love that about you. So he said, during World War Two, he was close to Norfolk and they had ships in in port getting ready to go out to war. And one of the ships had a piano in the captain’s area, And he was asked to come and tune the piano. And so he went with his little toolbox. And he’s trying, but they’re working on the ship. So there’s a lot of banging going on and a lot of carrying on. And the captain comes in and says, okay, is a piano tuned yet? He says, sir, I’m so very sorry to tell you. I’m having a very hard time tuning this piano because there’s so much noise going on. And he goes, okay, well, I’ll take care of that. And herb, like, looks at himself like he just left. I, you know, I’ll try, but it’s still loud. He didn’t realize that the captain went to the intercom and said, all work on the ship must cease right now.
Mindy Peterson: [00:25:21] Oh, wow.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:25:22] Stop begging. Stop doing everything. And herb said. My hands started shaking because I realized we’re spending a lot of money now.
Mindy Peterson: [00:25:32] Pressure’s on.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:25:33] This must be the most expensive piano tuning ever.
Mindy Peterson: [00:25:36] So he better work fast and do a good job.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:25:41] Oh, I love that. Fantastic.
Mindy Peterson: [00:25:44] One thing that we talk about quite a bit on this podcast is how music is not just entertainment. It is so much more right in the context of music and war time. Tell us what music was doing beyond just entertainment. What was it doing for people emotionally, socially, psychologically that went so much more far beyond entertainment? And what do we miss when we think of this music primarily as entertainment?
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:26:15] Well, that’s a really good point. I mean, um, starting in the 1960s in this country, thanks to our friends in Japan who started it in the 50s, um, music therapy has been a really big part of healing, as we all know. And luckily those programs were up and running in many areas. Uh, when our troops came back from Vietnam. And so music therapy really took its, its own during that time and continues to be very, very impressive. I’m, you know, a shout out to all those involved with music therapy because that’s a beautiful way of taking music and healing. It’s, it’s definitely a healer, without a doubt. We talked about it being an escape. You know, that’s definitely part of the healing process too, of course, but being able to process your feelings and your concerns and your worries and your nightmares, it might be through music is just it’s been proven over and over again to be a healing process. And these are things that we can’t ignore. And I think that the relevance of the power of music also is a sustainable, you know, these are the kind of things that we know we can count on in our own lives. You know, some, you know, what do you turn to when you’re having a bad day, right? What music do you put on when you. You heard that your grandfather. You know, what music did you put on when you heard that? Something.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:27:45] You know, a friend passed away. These are things that we may not always understand or appreciate at the moment, but these are things that help us get through some very happy and very hard times. One of the most powerful stories that I witnessed firsthand was when I was a kid. I volunteered thanks to my friend Jerry Jacobs. I took my radio show to a convalescent hospital, and I got to like the applause sign out. And I played records like we were on the radio, and I took requests, and it was great fun. Everybody loved it. And one day I’m playing this song, not because it was requested just because I had a thought, oh, let’s play this song. I mean, that’s where it came from, honestly. So it was a song called A Bundle of Old Love Letters by Bing Crosby. It was not one of his biggest hits, but it was one of his early hits. Way back in the 20s. And I played this song and, you know, I’m kind of paying attention to what I’m going to play next. But then I turn and I look towards the back of the room. There was a commotion around this gentleman, and a nurse comes in, she runs away. Two people come back with her, then one runs away and a doctor comes over. And I thought, oh my God, somebody is having a medical issue or something.
Mindy Peterson: [00:29:06] Right?
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:29:07] So, um, after it was over, my program was over. I’m packing up and one of the nurses comes over and said, did you under did you see what happened with Mr. Jones? We’ll say Mr. Jones. And I said, no, I have no idea. I hope he’s okay. Oh, he’s better than okay. He’s been here for three months and nobody’s ever heard him talk. His wife passed away about four months ago. When he came here, we literally heard nothing from him until that song was playing and he was singing along to it.
Mindy Peterson: [00:29:41] Oh, wow.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:29:44] Unbelievable. So the next week I went back. I was setting up and the doctor came over and said, did you hear about Mr. Jones? I said, yeah. He was singing along. Oh no, it gets much better than that. During this last week, he’s been talking to us regularly like nothing, like he’s always been talking to us. He explained that that song, a bundle of old love letters, was playing in this greasy spoon when he stopped to get a lunch. It was playing in a Victrola in the back of the restaurant with the cone. You know, it wasn’t like loud speakers or anything. It was just this very primitive type of recording. And it was playing when the waitress came over and took his order. And that woman became his wife of 60 years.
Mindy Peterson: [00:30:27] Oh, wow.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:30:28] Isn’t that amazing? What a story.
Mindy Peterson: [00:30:32] Yes, that is incredible.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:30:35] And I was there, I can tell you that’s what happened. Ah, that’s to me. This is why I have such a passion for what I do. Because I get to facilitate remembering people who have made a difference in music. And that, I think, is the reason I’m here.
Mindy Peterson: [00:30:52] Well, I can only imagine the incredible stories that you’ve heard with these almost 6000 interviews. And in addition to that, as I mentioned, you are a podcaster. Before I let you go, tell us, for listeners who might not be familiar, tell us a little bit about your podcast, The Music History Project.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:31:10] Yeah, that started, I think in 2017 when I have two assistants at the time who said we should do a podcast because they’re very popular. And I scratch my head and I said, where’s the time going to come from? But then they hooked me by saying, it’ll be like your old radio days. Oh, well, I love my old radio days.
Mindy Peterson: [00:31:28] So they knew what to say.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:31:31] Yeah, they, they knew exactly what to say. So, um, I thought, you know, it’s interesting the the interviews that you mentioned from the oral history program here at Nam, we have a standalone page for every one of those interviews that has at least a highlight clip from their interview, because I kept crashing the Nam server every time I put a full interview up about 25 years ago. So we decided to have just a representative to let people know these are the people who are in their collection. And then of course, we had a bio for everybody to read a little bit more about them, and then keyword tags that link them to other people. So we have a tag for World War Two, for example, of all the people who spoke about or worked in during World War Two, as one example, Steinway. I mean, we’ve got a lot of tags. So what I was hoping to do is use the podcast to show the depth of the collection instead of these standalone things, kind of like that keyword idea, but actually pull those clips out that talk about World War two and put them in one Podcast, and we’ve done great themes like this. We’ve had people talk about the banjo, we’ve talked and various instruments, the synthesizer and so on. We’ve had people talk about what the impact of music was during the civil rights movement. We’ve had people talk about or podcasts that assembled other people talking about Sun Records, where Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis started. And, and it was really cool because these guys, my assistants would say, well, you have. How many people do you have talking about Sun Records? Oh, I know five or 6 or 8. That’s enough for a podcast. And so my brain got so the lots of other record companies like Motown and so on. But just it’s really fun to think of what other topic can we talk about? Oh, women guitarists, there’s a great one. Luthiers, people who make guitars, the violin. I mean, it’s just it’s sort of endless when you have 6000 interviews.
Mindy Peterson: [00:33:36] So yeah.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:33:37] It’s sometimes it’s maybe even two sentences from one person, but it’s a great line that you want to include that. So that’s been really, really fun. That’s, that has given me a lot of extra energy.
Mindy Peterson: [00:33:49] I bet well, definitely include links in the show notes to your podcast. And then also the oral history program so that people can easily search that and get their ears and eyes on that. As you know, Dan, I ask all my guests to close out our conversation with the musical ending a coda by sharing a musical tool you wish more people knew about. It could be a book or a blog, an app, a therapeutic tool, or anything that enables you to enhance your life with music. I would say the two links that I’m putting in the show notes would be really great tools right there, but what kind of tool do you want to share with us in closing today?
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:34:29] I just have some advice that I would like to give. Okay. And the advice is my coda. If you are a grandparent, for example, or even a parent, and you have kids that have their own music, listen to that music, try to understand why they like that music. It might be something that you can barely tolerate. It might be something that you don’t understand because you weren’t meant to understand it, right? You’re the parent, you know, just like my music wasn’t meant for my mom to listen to or understand.
Mindy Peterson: [00:35:08] It would be fun for them anymore if their parents understood it. Right.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:35:11] Maybe. But I think there’s especially with grandkids, if you want to connect with your grandchildren, I think you are in a better position than a parent to really get in deep and say, what is it about this music that motivates you? What do you hear? And then maybe you can share, hey! I listened to your music, and I get that element. I never recognized that before. I think that this advice is geared towards those who want to continue to develop a relationship with somebody. And it could be it doesn’t have to be your grandkids. It can be a neighbor. It can be somebody that you’re having a hard time communicating with. Music can help you do that if you just ask the right questions, because they love something about music. And if you can understand that, you’re probably going to appreciate them a little bit more, but they’re going to appreciate you a little bit more for caring enough to ask them about something that’s important to them.
Mindy Peterson: [00:36:13] 100% and great timing for that tip as we head into November with Thanksgiving and then the holidays following that. So great timing and great to thank you for that.
Dan Del Fiorentino: [00:36:25] My pleasure. I really appreciate what you’re doing and I wish you all the best of luck.
Mindy Peterson: [00:36:31] Thank you so much.
Transcribed by Sonix.ai